


no one's gonna love you more than i do

by peppermintpatties



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alex is a stressed student, Caretaking, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Henry Is A Good Boyfriend, Law School, M/M, Post-Canon, Romantic Fluff, firstprince
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:34:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27444199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peppermintpatties/pseuds/peppermintpatties
Summary: 5 times Henry became Alex’s support system in law school + 1 time Alex made sure the whole world knows it
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Comments: 15
Kudos: 369





	no one's gonna love you more than i do

**Author's Note:**

> hi, guys! it's been so long, but i'm so happy to finally have the time to write something. it's been a year since i've read rwrb for the first time, so i thought i'd do something to celebrate it. i know i haven't responded to the comments you left on my previous works, but i've read all of them and appreciated them so so so much :( thank you for reading!! hopefully when this semester ends, i'd be able to write more ❤️
> 
> anyway, the title of this fic was inspired by the song no one's gonna love you - band of horses :) enjoy!

Everybody knows Alexander Claremont-Diaz always has a fire under his ass. And like everybody in his life predicted, this part of him would only get worse when he starts law school at NYU. However, if there’s a difference between his time as an undergrad student and his time as a law school student it’s that he has someone to take care of him now. Sure, he’s had a solid support system—his mom, his two dads, his sister, Nora, and Zara (sometimes)—but it’s different being looked after by those whom you felt are required to do so because they’re your family, as compared to being looked after by someone because they love you that much.

Fortunately for Alex, Henry does. So damn much.

1.

Alex didn’t find out about it right away. He merely assumed that Henry’s just punctual and a highly morning person because his princely duties entailed him to wake up every day at the ass crack of dawn. Alex didn’t question it. Instead, he simply appreciated how every time he’d wake up for school, Henry always has a cup of coffee—just the way he likes it—freshly prepared for him and he’s never missed a single day.

What Alex minded though, is the fact that he wakes up without Henry by his side on weekdays.

“Why do you always have to wake up so early?” he groggily complained as he caught Henry untangling their entwined limbs. Alex tried to stop him, but Henry just grabbed his hands and kissed his knuckles and then his forehead.

“Go back to sleep, love,” Henry said softly. Alex, who just went to bed a couple of hours ago, didn’t need to be told twice.

An hour later, Alex knew in his bones that this time he really needs to get out of bed or else he’d be late for his first class. He knew Henry wasn’t with him in bed anymore though. He distinctly remembered how the little shit was not at all subtle in untangling himself from Alex’s grip.

Even before his eyes landed on where the familiar scent of coffee and cinnamon was coming from, his mind already knew that it was his morning coffee. And his heart knew that it was all Henry’s doing. He smiled like an idiot and started his day feeling like he’d already conquered the world.

Alex supposed it wasn’t all bad that Henry’s work at the shelter and for his book had him waking up before Alex all the time since Henry always makes him coffee as a sort of apology that he had to leave already. He was wrong though, but Alex would only know the truth behind this months into his first semester.

It was a holiday, which means neither he nor Henry had to get up at all. Screw all their morning alarms and duty calls. Today, they have the whole day to themselves. That was why Alex was quite pissed when he woke up to a shrilling alarm. The sound was coming from under their blanket, and he had to manage locating the phone it was coming from without waking Henry up.

It was from Henry’s phone.

Alex was just about to press the stop button when he felt his fingers freeze as soon as he saw what it was for.

_Make coffee for Alex_

The alarm was set from Mondays to Fridays from six thirty up to seven in the morning with ten-minute intervals.

It didn’t make sense to him at first because wouldn’t he hear the alarm as well? Yet as soon as thought more about it, things kind of made sense. Henry always made sure his phone was placed on his side table, as far away from Alex’s side of the bed as possible, before cuddling—though it quickly turns into making out—with Alex before sleeping.

 _But that must mean he never really had to wake up so early for work_ , Alex stupidly realized.

He looked at Henry, still fast asleep beside him. He was breathing softly and looking like the prince that he is, even more so with the morning sunlight hitting parts of his face. Alex didn’t know if it was still possible, but he thinks he just felt his heart squeeze a little.

No one ever loved him this much.

2.

It was finals week at NYU, which means that the fire under Alex’s ass seemed like it was fed with more oxygen than Henry could ever manage to extinguish.

Seriously, for all Alex’s desire to keep his country standing tall, he has no sense of self-preservation at all.

“Alex, love, you’ve been sitting in that chair for ten hours. Why don’t you take a break for a while?”

Really, Henry knew better than to suggest something like self-care to Alex in times like these, but as much as he wants Alex to ace all of his exams, Henry didn’t want him to compromise his health in the process.

“Can’t,” Alex muttered. “Still have six chapters to review, plus a paper to proofread.”

“You’ve already proofread your paper more times than we’ve had sex this week,” Henry deadpanned.

Alex looked up at him. “You know, we haven’t tried the school kink,” he waggled his eyebrows far too suggestively to be considered serious.

Henry choked on his tea. “I’m sorry, the _what_?”

“Oh, you know, where you’d try to quiz me and for every time I’d get the correct answer you’d go farther down until you’ve reached my—”

“Please do shut up.”

Alex cackled and wrapped his arms around Henry while still sitting on his desk chair. “You should go get some rest, baby. I’ll follow you up in a couple of hours.”

Henry snorted at him fondly while combing his fingers through Alex’s disheveled curls. “Please, we both know that if I don’t drag you from that chair you’d never get up unless you already have to leave for your exam. Which, may I remind you, isn’t still for another two days.”

“I know,” Alex sighed. “But I feel like no matter how hard I study, I’ll never be really prepared to take it, you know?”

Henry kissed his forehead. Then after a minute or two he says, “Come on.”

“I told you, I can’t sleep yet—”

“I know that. I meant let’s go out. You probably need a change of scenery. I just remembered that quaint coffee shop we saw down the block is open all the time.”

Alex smirked. “Who the hell says _quaint_ in an actual conversation?”

Henry flicked him on the forehead and started to help Alex pack his stuff.

They walked hand in hand towards the café under the cold winter night. As soon as they got there, Alex made a beeline for the two-seater table with an electrical outlet nearby, while Henry got their drinks. Alex ignored that spark in his heart when he realized Henry knew what he was going to get even before he told him.

They stayed there for three hours. Alex highlighting almost the entire page of his textbooks, while Henry tried to work on some paperwork, but ended up using his phone instead. When Alex noticed this, he felt such an asshole for not realizing sooner.

After months of living and being with Henry, Alex learned about the little things that made up his complex yet wonderful person. One of them being his inability to concentrate on his work when in an unfamiliar place.

“Hey,” Alex said. “We can go home now if you’re tired. I’m sorry I forgot you have a hard time being productive in these kinds of places.”

Henry smiled. “It’s alright, love. I didn’t really plan on doing work anyways. Just wanted to keep you company.”

Alex, feeling his heart might burst from just looking at his boyfriend, merely stood over their table and kissed Henry on the cheek. But the bastard had to ruin the moment by saying, “Careful, sweetheart, people here might think we’re dating.”

Alex laughed. No one ever loved him this much.

3.

Alex haven’t started his day, yet he already knew it was going to be one of his worst ones.

He and Henry returned home to their brownstone around three in the morning, and while he was successful in pestering his boyfriend to get some fucking sleep, Alex himself wasn’t so successful in doing that.

Having only slept for two hours and waking up without Henry’s arms wrapped around him, things were already starting to get bad for Alex. Aside from that, their printer decided to run out of black ink, which means he had no time to enjoy the coffee Henry made for him because he had to fucking sprint to the library at NYU. After handing his paper to his professor was only when he finally got to breathe, but as soon as he had the chance to clear his mind, he realized one more thing that was wrong that day.

He forgot to bring his lucky hoodie with him.

People do lots of weird things—or rituals, whatever—before facing a major exam. This type of thing is not new to Alex. Ever since college, he had this hoodie that he got from a trip somewhere. Honestly, it wasn’t even that memorable, but he found himself always wearing it during some of the special moments in his life. When he got into Georgetown, when his mom told him she was going to run for a second term, when he called Henry to tell him about the turkey calamity during Thanksgiving.

Somehow, this particular piece of clothing became a lucky charm for Alex. Well, besides Henry’s signet ring.

Knowing it would be useless to go back to the brownstone just to get it, he decided to spend the remaining time before his exam at the library doing some last-minute reviews. He eventually gave up when he felt like his brain soaked up all the information it could retain, and just let his head fall on the table. He wasn’t sure how long he stayed that way, and he was pretty certain he was already about to fall asleep when someone gently, hesitantly tapped him on the shoulder.

“Uh, Alex?” It was Charlie, one of Alex’s classmates in the subject they have an exam for in a couple of hours.

Alex liked her. They had several groupworks together, and Alex found that her work ethics were just like his. Which is to say they both tend to forget they were actual human beings in need of sustenance until they’ve finished their work.

“Hey, Charlie. What’s up?”

“Uh, well His Highness—Oh, I meant Prince Henry asked me to give you your—uhm this.” Alex didn’t miss the way she got all flustered trying to mention to him the fact that Henry talked to her. On a normal day, Alex would probably tease her about it. He knew about Charlie’s teeny tiny crush on Henry. He introduced the two of them that time Henry picked him up from school like the fucking gentleman that he is. They really hit it off. Henry messages her to ask about Alex sometimes when he forgets to pick-up his damn phone. Alex was used to people turning into blubbering messes in the presence of his boyfriend—he was goddamn royalty after all, and as much as Alex hates to admit it, he does too—but he was also amused by the fact that Charlie was torn between crushing on Henry and shipping him and Alex so hard. (Yeah, she cried reading The Waterloo Letters.)

The thing is, Alex might have mentioned about her turning into a blushing mess again, but he was more concerned about the fact that Henry was here.

Henry was _here_.

Alex bolted upright. “What?! Where is he?”

“He already left, said he didn’t want to disturb you because he knows you’re studying, but he arrived the same time I was about to enter the main door. He asked me to give you this.”

Of course, it was Alex’s lucky hoodie. Of course, Henry knew about it being his lucky charm for his exams. Of course, his boyfriend was the most thoughtful person on this goddamn planet, and of course, he could make Alex tear up even without physically being there.

Charlie noticed how Alex’s eyes somehow became too watery to just be blamed on his yawn. Thankfully, she didn’t mention anything about it. She smiled at him, smirking a little, and said, “He also said to make sure you go home right away because you only had two hours of sleep last night. Well technically, a while ago.”

“Honestly, the guy thinks he’s my babysitter or something,” Alex snorted. Both of them knew it was all bullshit though, and that Alex is internally melting into a puddle of goo, all because of Henry.

No one ever loved him this much.

4.

As predicted, Alex aced his exams for that week. He went home that afternoon in a good mood, and was ready to spend some time with Henry—it was a Friday night after all, he could study again during the entire weekend—but the scene he was met with upon entering the front door of their brownstone was not what he was expecting.

Henry was on a phone call with someone and was clearly stressed about whatever it was being said to him. Oh, and he also has one of his suitcases half-filled with clothes.

“Alright… it’s fine. Is that the latest flight? Yes, of course.” There was a brief moment of silence before Henry said to the phone, “Please do let me know about the updates as soon as you get them,” before hanging up.

He let out a heavy sigh, before sitting down and letting his head fall into his hands.

Alex slowly came up to him, and gently hugged Henry from behind. He felt him slowly relax and turned towards Alex to bury his face in the crook of his neck. Alex rubbed his back and stroked his fingers through Henry’s blonde hair.

“Hey, sweetheart.” He kissed Henry’s temple. “Is everything okay?”

It was a while before Henry muttered, “Mom got confined to the hospital.”

“What happened?! Is she alright?” Alex was still in the process of building a closer relationship with Princess Catherine but considering the fact that she thinks Alex is the best choice for his son, he figured it wouldn’t be hard at all.

Plus, she hates the Queen’s guts, which makes Alex already love her.

“Shaan just informed me that she collapsed while taking a walk in the gardens today. They still haven’t gotten the test results back, but she’s currently admitted at the hospital. I’m taking the next flight to see her,” Henry said. His voice was small and weak, which caused Alex so much pain. He hated seeing Henry like this. He just wants to wrap his arms around him and protect this boy from all the world.

“I can come with you,” Alex tried to offer, but Henry was already shushing him.

“You can’t. You still have your exams next week, remember?” Alex was about to protest though Henry beat him to it, “I’ll be okay, love. Shaan said they think it’s not anything serious, maybe just fatigue, but it’s best to be sure so they’ve run a couple of tests.”

Alex frowned, still unconvinced that it was best for Henry to travel alone at a time like this. “My next exam is not until Wednesday. I can take an earlier flight back if you still have to stay in London longer.”

“You need to focus on your exams. Plus, Shaan’s going with me and Bea already messaged that she’s picking me up from the airport.”

With this, Alex had no choice but to help him pack and went with Henry up until the airport. He kissed him goodbye and made him promise to call him as soon as he lands. “I love you, baby. Be safe okay?”

Henry hugged him tighter at this, and if it weren’t for Shaan interrupting them to inform Henry that they need to get going, Alex wouldn’t have probably let him out of their embrace.

Four days later, Alex found himself in the middle of a meltdown.

It’s two in the morning, he’s running on a thirty-minute nap and three cups of instant coffee, and his mind seemed to stop functioning. When he gets to this point in his studying, usually Henry is there to calm him down and to ground him.

But Henry’s not there. He’s still in London and won’t be back for another two days. He assured Alex that his mom was fine and that she fainted due to hypotension. She was put to bed rest and Henry decided to keep her company for a while.

Alex wasn’t sure if Henry’s already up at this time, though it was already seven in the morning in London, so he took the chance.

Henry picked up almost immediately. “I miss you.”

“Well, hello to you too, Your Highness,” Alex teased. Already, he was feeling so much better by just hearing Henry’s voice. “I miss you more.”

“How are you? Please tell me you’re about to sleep after this.”

Alex let out a heavy sigh. “I’m tired. I don’t want to do this anymore.”

“Maybe you should just sleep it off, sweetheart. No use forcing yourself when your brain is already maxed out. I’m pretty sure you’ll do great no matter what,” Henry said to him softly.

“I would, but the test this afternoon is really hard. This is for the class of the professor I told you about. The one who gives a four-item exam but with twenty-five points each that’s all-or-nothing?” Alex was back to panicking, and Henry picked it up right away.

“Hey, it’s okay. Alex, listen to me. You’re gonna get through this. I’m here, love. Deep breaths, yeah?” Alex nods even though Henry can’t see him and let his deep breaths sound through the phone, so Henry knows he’s trying.

After making sure Alex has calmed down, Henry said, “What if I help you study?”

“How?”

“Well, I made a few flashcards for a couple of topics, and I don’t know, would it, uh, help if I ask you instead of you going back to reading your notes?”

It took a while for Alex to process what Henry just told him. “Flashcards.”

“Yes.”

“You made… flashcards? What? _When?_ ”

Henry laughed a little at Alex’s incredulous tone. “Remember last week when we went to the coffee shop? I couldn’t focus on getting some work done, so while you were doing your thing, I managed to get hold of one of your reading materials you weren’t using and tried to make some flashcards on my phone. I didn’t even know why, or how it would help, I just thought it might be a good way to pass the time, and it might come in handy for you—”

Alex cut off Henry’s worried rambling by saying in a choked voice, “Baby.”

“It’s fine, I just thought—obviously you could just review the way you usually do while we’re on the phone—”

“Henry. Shut up.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“Baby,” Alex tries again. “I don’t even know what to say. I can’t believe—Henry, thank you.”

“Of course, anything for you.”

Alex must’ve done something so good in his past life to deserve someone like this. No one ever loved him this much.

5.

As soon as Alex shut the door to their brownstone, he was greeted by Henry who looked all flush and so, so British in his tartan pajamas.

Henry kissed Alex as a greeting and placed his hands on both sides of his waist and said, “Guess what?”

“You’re gonna be on the cover for the next issue for UK Vogue.”

“What? No.”

“Damn it. There goes my chance of having another magazine to ogle you from.”

“Christ, Alex. You have the actual person!”

“Yeah, but it’s different. I still have my fantasies, babe.”

“That I don’t want to hear about. Come on, just guess.”

“Uh, your package of Jaffa cakes finally arrived today?”

“No.”

“We’re getting a cat?”

“No! _Honestly_.”

“Alright, Wales, I give up.”

With a slight groan and a mutter of _Honestly, Alexander, why do I even try with you_ , Henry reached into his pocket and produced a white envelope. He handed it to Alex. “Open it.”

Alex couldn’t fucking believe it.

“Oh my god, Henry. Holy shit. I—wow, I love you. What the actual _fuck_.”

Henry grinned. “I thought it’d help you get through your last exam for this semester.”

“ _Sex with you_ would help me get through my last exam, but _this_? I could die now and be happy despite not getting into Congress before thirty.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“And you’re unbelievable! How did you manage to get us tickets to see Hamilton? It’s like sold out until next year, you fucker.”

“Let’s just say I know how to pull my cards,” Henry said smugly.

“You, His Royal Highness, Prince of Romantic Gestures will about to have the best sex of your life—”

“Oh please, didn’t you just tell me how it was just—”

He never found out what his boyfriend had to say, as he was interrupted by kiss-turned-make-out-session from Alex.

 _He had it coming_ , Alex thought, _being this romantic and all that shit_.

No one ever loved him this much. Alex made sure that Henry knows this as they stumbled to their room and buried themselves beneath their blanket and within each other.

+1

Alex capped off his drying highlighter as he finished studying the last page of his reviewer for his last final exam. He looked at the clock and found it was already almost four in the morning. It was not surprising, really, considering he always loses track of time when he’s _in the zone_.

Just then, he realized that it’s been a while since Henry last checked up on him. He has been a constant presence for Alex, even more so the past two weeks. He was there to refill his water, make him coffee, put blankets around him, massage his sore back, and hell, even act as his alarm clock. Henry also made it his personal mission to remind Alex once in a while to go to sleep even though he knew he would only be met with a grunt and a _in a while, baby, I’m almost finished_ as a response.

Alex stood up from his chair, stretched his aching muscles, and went to look for Henry.

The said prince was found on the couch of their living room, just outside their office where Alex was studying. The Great British Bake Off was playing in their TV, but Henry was fast asleep on the sofa wearing Alex’s worn out NYU sweatshirt that he got from welcome week. Somehow, it became Henry’s favorite.

He looked uncomfortable with his head laying on the arm of the sofa without a pillow to support him. The remote was also still clutched in his hand. His hair was messy in the cute sort of way, his eyebrows were a bit furrowed as if he were dreaming. It was obvious he hadn’t meant to fall asleep.

Alex felt his chest constrict for a bit. He knew Henry was waiting for him to finish so they could go to bed together because Henry hated sleeping without him.

Unable to resist, Alex quickly took a photo that he instantly knew would be one of his favorites of Henry’s.

Alex quietly went up to Henry and bent down, so they were face-to-face. He gently brushed strands of blonde hair that fell onto his forehead as a way to wake up Henry without sending him into a panic.

Slowly, Henry came into consciousness and squinted up at him. “Alex?” he croaked. “I fell asleep,” Henry said more to himself than to Alex. “Do you need anything?”

Alex smiled at him. “I need you to help me get you up so we can go upstairs to get you some proper sleep. Can you do that for me, baby?” He added the last bit a bit insistently because Henry’s eyes were closing once again.

As soon as they reached their bedroom, Alex tucked Henry to bed and promised him that he’ll just take a shower before joining him to sleep. Once Alex did just that, hugged Henry from behind which caused him to face Alex and latched onto him before sleeping more deeply, Alex still felt bone tired, yet he couldn’t sleep.

He went on to admire his Henry, who placed his head on Alex’s chest and had a firm grip on his shirt, as if he thought Alex might suddenly disappear.

Sometimes, that’s what Alex felt. That moments as precious as this would all be just a dream because how could he ever deserve to live this life? To have someone as wonderful as Henry as his partner in everything?

 _Fuck it_ , Alex thought, and before he could think whether or not he was allowed to do it, he wrote out these thoughts anyway and attached Henry’s sleeping photo before posting it.

It eventually became his most liked post on Instagram, and well, the most liked photo in Instagram history.

Alex’s mind was too tired to be embarrassed about it because he had a reputation of being America’s golden boy to uphold _thank you very much_ , but he also thinks that _hey, if you’re openly dating the Prince of England why pass up the opportunity to show him off, right?_

After all, no one ever loved him this much.

Alex vowed to spend the rest of his life trying to make Henry feel the same way about him. He figured the black box in his sock drawer was probably a good place to start.


End file.
